The past 5 weeks I have been in a Mommy & Me class at The Pump Station. It’s been a fantastic weekly outing for Carter and I getting to know other littles, as well as their wonderful mamas. We’re all newbies to this whole parenting thing so it’s great going through the process together. I also love that our group has bonded rather quickly so there’s no judgment on how you’re feeling or whatever you say. Yesterday’s class took a break from sleep, poo and boob talk and ventured more into how we as moms are doing. It was a beautiful and candid conversation filled with laughs, toasts with virtual wine class (we got margies after class!) and even some tears. Seeing other women open up about scary stuff was truly inspiring. Thank you! I thought I’d share the premise of the conversation as it’s a great tool for reflection, whether you’re a first-time mom or an empty-nester.

Here’s the question: What’s on MYTH, HIGHLIGHT, and STRUGGLE of MOMMYHOOD? I’d love to share my answers but would love to hear yours.

MYTH: For me, I feel when going through pregnancy people can often be negative. Whether it’s talking about the horrible labor (not that bad!), the sleepless nights or that “your life is ending” it seemed for me people didn’t have much positive. It was like they were scaring me into not having a child. Whooops, too late. Obviously everyone says how amazing it is and it changes your life but I was really worried on how it would affect me. For us our life HAS continued on. Of course there are sometimes when it takes a little longer to get the process going or instead of going out you’d like a night in, but when didn’t that happen before? We’ve been so blessed with an abundance of support with friends and family that we can have a date night or we will take Carter to an outside wine bar. Life can stay the same, yet truly get enhanced with so many fun new memories with the little man.

HIGHLIGHT: It goes without saying that being Carter’s mom is the ultimate highlight. The past four months my heart has grown in ways I never knew was possible. He’s such a happy and delightful little boy who’s made this whole parenting thing such a joy. (I know I’m going to venting when he hits 2…or 12…or 22) The highlight for me actually came a few days ago from my husband when I was playing with Carter and there was a full on giggle-fest happening. He looked at me and said “I’m really proud of you and how amazing you are doing as his mom. He’s really luck.” Cue tears. Is there any better compliment? It gave me such a renewed sense of appreciation and is that little glimmer of faith when I often wonder, “what the heck am I doing?”

STRUGGLE: Where does the time go? I struggle with trying to be Superwoman and get everything done in a day. I’m learning to let go a little bit and not feel I have to control everything. It’s ok not to respond to that work email with 2 minutes of getting it. It’s ok if the dishes stay in the sink for a night, bottle washing is the priority now. It’s ok if there’s a spot on the floor and you don’t have time to clean it. Learning the balance work, home-life and taking care of little man has been the struggle for me. I’ve learned to call my mom to watch him for an hour so I can go to a workout or return work calls un-interrupted. This balance goes into the marriage too as we work together. It’s a juggling game that I’m trying to still get a grasp on of knowing what hat (mom, wife, business, friend) to wear and when.